Mission Critical - Winter 2008 - (Page 20)

Mission Critical Care BY DOUGLAS H. SANDBERG Doug Sandberg is the director, US Field Sales & Service Operations for ASCO Services Inc. and a 7x24exchange board member. Shipping, Staging, and Installation Maintenance steps begin at the very outset of the project hipping, staging, and properly installing equipment is vitally important. Imagine the contractor that must pour a concrete pad in and around the bottom of an automatic transfer switch (ATS) because the contractor forgot to provide the 4-in. raised pad prior to installation. The generator controls sat exposed to the elements on a rooftop for an extended period of time prior to enclosure and that same ATS was not inspected until it was time to install it. These situations actually occurred, causing considerable delay in project schedules. Of course, the situations had to be rectified before commissioning. All three situations could have been avoided. S Shipping The most common shipping method is called freight on board (FOB). FOB is a term used in shipping to refer to the place where the buyer becomes responsible for both the shipment and the shipping charges. Example: If a buyer lives in Des Moines and buys a product FOB New York, the buyer must pay the shipping charges from New York to Des Moines and is responsible for seeing that it is properly insured during that shipment. Design & Application Testing Quality Modify & Upgrade Transport & Protection Maintenance Proper Installation Training Documentation Benchmark Testing Obtaining long life for a high-reliability system requires action in ten touchpoint areas. When ownership transfers from seller to buyer at buyer’s dock, the arrangement is called a destination contract. These arrangements include a contract of sale in which a seller bears the risk of loss all the way, until the shipment of goods reaches at its named place of arrival (or port of destination). Another shipping option is called ship in place, which means the manufacturer can transfer ownership and invoice the customer while the equipment remains in the custody of the manufacturer. Upon arriving at a site, the buyer or the buyer’s designated representative must properly inspect the shipment upon arrival. Electrical equipment damaged in shipment, staging, or installation may fail, damage other equipment, or cause personal injury. The new owner must also protect the equipment while it is staged for future installation. Mishandling equipment can damage it or allow dirt, dust, and moisture to enter the equipment, which can cause the equipment to fail in time. Responsibility for protecting the equipment rests with the general contractor, the owner, or a designated representative. The same person must carefully inspect the manufacturer’s original packaging to ensure that it is intact. If the packaging is damaged, the owner must have the original equipment manufacturer or its representative thoroughly inspect the equipment. If the packaging is damaged, the owner must keep the equipment protected while it awaits installation. A good staging area provides protection from the hubbub of construction traffic (fork lifts, trucks etc.), the elements (rain, snow and extremes in temperature), and unauthorized persons. Staging also simplifies security by preventing unauthorized or unnecessary handling of the equipment or operating of the controls, which can damage sensitive electronics even though the equipment is not energized. Security surveillance and periodic inspection can help prevent damage while the equipment is in storage. The manufacturer’s authorized representative should be consulted in the event of any unusual situations prior to installation. Proper installation will improve the life of the equipment. The installing contractors and their employees must be thoroughly familiar with the physical arrangement, electrical 20 | Mission Critical Winter 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Mission Critical - Winter 2008

Mission Critical - Winter 2008 Table of Contents Editorial: What Have We Been Doing? Cronin’s Workshop: Imagining the Perfect Data Center Power And Cooling Solution Digital Power: The Next Edge in Business Resiliency Zinc Whiskers: Keeping Up With The Green Movement Mission Critical Care: Shipping, Staging, and Installation Legal Perspectives: “A Reliable Energy Supply Is Key to Data Center Success” Continued Payback, Instant Protection Beyond the Nines The Green Information Technology Revolution Health Care Network Offers Glimpse of the Future of Backup Power High-Density Data Centers – Discuss, Design, Deploy High Performance Data Centers Call for Innovative Cooling Techniques More Data in the Data Center Five Considerations for Powering Data Center Racks New Products Industry News Events Classifieds Letters Ad Index Datacenter Wiki: wiki-Mission Critical

Mission Critical - Winter 2008

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